Ginny found it more than easy to get her youngest brother to share information about his new friend. In fact, that summer Ron talked of little else than Harry Potter. When he wasn't talking of the Boy Who Lived, he would talk about his "very brilliant, yet completely mental" friend, Hermione Granger. Although it was wonderful to learn all she could about the boy she couldn't seem to get out of her head, Ginny had to admit that she was jealous of the attention they both received from Ron. She had hoped that with her brother's return would come a return to the familiar. To her disappointment, the way things were became the way things used to be.

One day in July, Ginny burst into Ron's bedroom and begged him to go for a fly with her.

"PLEEEEAASE! It's been forever since I've had a chance. Mum says I can't go alone and the twins are busy with Merlin knows what. You know how they get when they're holed up in their room like this. I didn't want to become the target of any of their mischief."

"I said no, Gin! I've got this letter to write to Harry. His birthday is coming up and he is still with those awful muggles! And Hermione has been nagging me for a reply to her last owl...besides, how many times have I told you to bloody knock? This is my room and is it too much for a bloke to have some privacy?"

At that, Ginny was quickly pushed out of his room and the door slammed in her face. All she could do was sadly turn from his door and go back to her bedroom.

"Maybe once I'm at Hogwarts with them all, we can be together like we used to," Ginny thought bitterly.

%G%

"But, Mum, he isn't writing back! I've owled him at least twelve times and I haven't gotten one scrap of parchment from him! I think those awful muggles are keeping his mail from him," Ron whinged at the dinner table.

"That may well be, however, there is nothing your father and I can do about it at the moment. Those muggles are his legal guardians. Your father and I will discuss what to do," their Mum responded back.

Ginny burst with excitement and begged, "Oh, please, Mum! I know Ron has been trying to have Harry over to stay! It would be so wonderful if he could come!"

Fred and George sniggered across from her.

"I'm sure it would be ever so wonderful!" cracked Fred in his best impression of Ginny.

"Oh, Harry! Please let us have hundreds of bespectacled babies and live happily ever after!" George cried in a high-pitched inflection.

Ginny felt her face warm to an uncomfortable temperature as her gaze fell to her lap. Was she that obvious? She had tried to keep her feelings to herself, but maybe she had mentioned Harry a few (or more) times in casual conversation.

"Leave your sister alone, you two!" declared her Mum. There was a chorus of mumbled affirmation from the twins and the matter was dropped.

%G%

Traditionally, the Weasley children were allowed to sleep in during their summers home. However, there was only one sound known to wake them from a dead sleep: the fury of their mother.

Ginny groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. She was still too drowsy to understand what her mother was shouting, but she knew who were the most likely objects of her anger. What have they done this time? It is too bloody early for this!

Abandoning her bed as a lost cause, Ginny flung her quilt aside. She glanced at her periwinkle nightdress clad reflection and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. At least, she knew her Mum was up and had probably made breakfast. As she walked down the flight of stairs to the kitchen, she couldn't help but think of the lovely dream her Mum had interrupted. Ginny froze as she entered the kitchen. The subject of said dream was currently sitting at the breakfast table. She squealed and ran for her room.

Harry Potter! Why is he here? WHY IS HE HERE? And he saw me in my pajamas! I must look a fright! How could such a wonderful dream turn into such a nightmare?

Ginny resigned herself to the embarrassment and walked to the bathroom so she could shower. After she finished, she changed and stared into the mirror. Her normally copper hair was dark auburn from the water. Although she was flushed from the shower's steam, her freckles still stood out from her skin. She was such a little girl. Harry would never look twice at her. At that moment she heard footsteps on the third floor landing. She carefully opened the bathroom door and caught a glimpse of Harry and Ron. Harry's jet black hair was sticking up in the back. She had the overwhelming urge to touch it. Harry must have heard her for he turned and stared directly into her eyes. His bright green eyes were just as she remembered at King's Cross. They were so vibrant, so deep, so alive. Ginny quickly came to and closed the bathroom door with a snap. Could she make more of a fool of herself?

%G%

Apparently so. Ginny groaned as she banged the back of her head against her closed door. It seemed as though every time Harry Potter was in the room, she was struck dumb. Her responses either came out as splutters or mumbles. The majority of the time, one of her brothers was there to interrupt so she could make a sly getaway. However, just now when Harry asked her if she had seen Ron, she was alone in the sitting room. She felt like her face had gone numb. Say something! Anything! Instead, Ginny bolted for the safe haven of her room and was currently berating herself. Maybe if I hide in here the whole summer, I can avoid him and save myself from more embarrassment.

"Ginny!" Her Mum's call sounded throughout the whole Burrow.

Too late. Ginny trudged down the stairs, praying to Merlin that Harry was no longer in the sitting room. She found her Mum instead, setting knitting needles to work on what appeared to be mittens.

"Ah, there you are, dear! I wanted to discuss your birthday. It's in a few days and I wanted to know what you wanted for your present. And what flavor cake do you want me to make? I was thinking chocolate." her Mum asked cheerily.

Ginny had wanted her own broom for longer than she could even remember. A pet to take to Hogwarts wouldn't be a bad request either. But those types of gifts were expensive and Ginny was a Weasley. She knew better than to ask for something so outlandish. The last thing Ginny wanted to see was the look on her Mum's face when she would have to disappoint her only daughter.

"I don't know, Mum. Maybe just some quills for school would be good. Chocolate's great. That's my favorite." Ginny forced the cheer into her voice and smiled.

"That sounds perfect, Ginny dear! I'm so happy to hear you are already thinking about your studies."

Ginny was used to her brothers either acting as if she were the annoying baby sister or protecting her from the world to the point of feeling suffocated. Her birthday was always different. It was the one day where her brothers openly smothered her with affection.

She was sitting at the breakfast table enjoying her favorite foods when the twins came upon her from both sides. They lifted her up by her arms and danced her around in a circle.

"Happy Birthday, little sprite!", they hollered in unison.

Ginny couldn't stop laughing even when they dropped her unceremoniously back in her chair. She tried to catch her breath, but nothing made her happier than her family. Even Percy made the effort to leave his room to celebrate with her. She reminded herself to investigate why he had spent the entire summer in voluntary solitude.

Like all birthdays in the Weasley household, the guest list was limited to immediate family only (Harry being the exception this time). Ginny received the quills she asked for and a large double layered chocolate cake with periwinkle frosting. Her brothers gave her each of her favorite candies. Licorice wands from Percy, a pack of strawberry flavored Drooble's Best Blowing Gum from the twins, and a chocolate frog from Ron. Bill and Charlie sent her letters relaying all the adventures they were having in Egypt and Romania, respectively. To the typical witch her age, these gifts would seem paltry, but to Ginny they were valuable because they came from her brothers.

%G%

Ginny received something just as valuable the next morning- her first Hogwarts letter. Here was irrevocable proof that she would be attending the same school as her family had for generations. Sure, she made a fool of herself as soon as Harry joined the family for breakfast, but not even a dropped porridge bowl nor a buttered elbow could put a damper on her happiness. Now all she had to do was get into Gryffindor house.

The boys minus Percy organized a two on two Quidditch game that she was obviously not invited to. There wasn't much else to do at the Burrow especially by yourself. Ginny opted to climb one of her favorite trees in the grove where the boys were playing their game. She shimmied herself halfway up then sat on a sturdy branch; her back leaned against the thick trunk while she dangled her foot. A refreshing breeze whistled through the trees. The smell of summer was in the air and Ginny couldn't help smiling to herself. She was about to close her eyes and take a nap when she heard the shouts of her brothers. She peeked through the branches and she saw him. Harry swooped like a hawk to catch an apple Fred had thrown. His raven hair was fluttering in the wind; his emerald eyes squinted in concentration. He leaned into his Nimbus Two Thousand and sped faster toward the plummeting apple. At the last moment, he caught it and pivoted his broom up toward the sky. He was so graceful and powerful. No wonder he was on the Gryffindor team. She imagined how it would feel to ride with him. Her arms around his waist and head leaned against his shoulder. The wind in her hair and the swooping sensation in her stomach from the ride and the company. She closed her eyes and silently wished over and over- if only, if only.

%G%

The week passed without any serious incidents. True, her Mum was becoming increasingly frustrated with how many broken dishes she had had to repair, but Ginny was also becoming more aware of when Harry was about to enter a room.

The day came for them to make the annual trip for school supplies and it would be the first time for Ginny to be receiving items for herself.

"Now, Ginny dear, I expect you to stay by my side the entire time. No wandering off now. We have a lot to purchase and only a small time to accomplish it in." her Mum commanded.

"Yes, Mum, you've told me a hundred times since breakfast. I am not to leave your side. A goblin might come around the corner and claim me for his bride! If you are with me, you can kindly explain to him that I am not of age quite yet." Ginny smirked.

"That is not funny, Ginevra! The world can be a dangerous place and you're young. You don't understand how scary it can be!"

"Yes, Mum."

Her Dad and brothers soon joined them at the kitchen fireplace to floo to Diagon Alley. Ron quietly explained to their parents that Harry had never travelled by floo powder. It was strange to Ginny that someone as courageous as Harry was so inexperienced in the Wizarding world. She could remember flooing to Aunt Muriel's as soon as she was able to walk— although that wasn't much of an experience to brag about. The twins went first, demonstrating the proper use of floo powder. Next her Dad vanished in a puff of green smoke and flames. Finally it was Harry's turn. He appeared rather pale as he stepped into the fireplace. He took a deep calming breath and then managed to cough out, "D—Dia—gon Alley."

Harry disappeared into the green flames and Ron abruptly turned to their Mum.

"Do you think he made it?"

"Oh dear, I do hope he is alright! Hurry, Ron! We need to make sure he made it through."

Ginny and her Mum tripped out of the Leaky Cauldron's hearth in a cloud of ash. She liked traveling by magic, but floo powder was a messy way to do it in her opinion. She looked forward to the day when she would receive her apparation license, but that seemed like a whole lifetime away. Her Mum quickly went to work counting ginger heads, but did not come up with a raven haired one in her numbers. She rushed to Tom, the barman, and frantically asked him if he had seen Harry come through there.

"No, can't say that I have, Molly. Think I would have noticed if Harry Potter himself came through my pub. I'll keep an eye out for him though."

Her Mum rushed back to them.

"Oh Arthur, we must find him! I'll never forgive myself if he is injured somewhere!" she spoke through great sobs.

"Calm down, dear. We'll find him." Her Dad swiftly turned to her brothers. "Boys, I want you to split up and look for Harry. We'll meet up at Gringott's in 30 minutes if we don't find him. Off you go!"

"What about us?" Ginny whinged. "Are we just going to stand here?"

Her Mum scowled. "Let your father and brothers search the shops. We'll search the crowds. Don't let go of my hand, Ginny."

"Yes, Mum."

%G%

"There they are!" her Mum declared.

Ginny had hardly any time to find them herself before she was grabbed by the hand and pulled towards Gringotts.

"Oh, Harry...oh, my dear...you could have been anywhere..."

Harry appeared to be at his most disheveled. Soot covered him from head to foot. His clothes were rumpled. The bridge of his glasses had broken and they hung haphazardly on his nose. How then does he still look so very adorable? Ginny was mortified when her mother produced a brush from her bag and proceeded to sweep the dark dust from his clothes. Her father quickly repaired Harry's glasses. Harry turned to Ron and to a bushy brunette Ginny assumed must be the 'brilliant Hermione Granger.' She was dressed in a conservative burgundy cardigan and black slacks (both of which appeared to be new compared to Ginny's own combination of handmade and secondhand clothes). The ease with which she conversed with Ron and Harry ruffled her as well.

After collecting a pittance of sickles and galleons from the family vault, Ginny was whisked away to the secondhand robe shop with her mother. Although this was a routine errand for her, this would be the first time that she would be fitted for the signature Hogwarts school robes and uniform. The thrill was lost once Ginny saw the available robes to have refitted. Variations of faded black; frayed hems from overuse; singed edges from wayward spells; tears from the hasty removal of house patches-How would she ever look half decent compared to the others?

She knew better to complain. She knew they couldn't afford Madam Malkin's robes. The one time she had grumbled, she had expected her Mum to shout at her. Instead she stood silent with a look of shame in her eyes. Ginny abruptly apologized and mumbled that the clothes were fine. Later that night, Percy provided the scolding while Charlie took her aside to explain the Weasley finances. The short story was that they were not good, but what they lacked in monetary value, they made up for in true riches. Still at this moment, Ginny didn't feel very rich.

Purchases made, Ginny and her Mum set off toward Flourish and Blotts. A large crowd had formed outside the bookstore and the demographic definitely skewed toward witches in their mid-forties to mid-sixties. And no wonder, for a large banner proclaimed that Gilderoy Lockhart himself would be there to autograph copies of his autobiography. The twins always teased their mother about him. Her Mum consulted his books whenever there was a difficult magical housekeeping problem. And it certainly seemed to help that Gilderoy was not bad looking in the slightest. However, when Ginny had looked at his photograph on the dustcover flap, she felt that his eyes sparkled a bit too much, his hair was a bit too luminous, and his smile a bit too plastered on. In fact, when the man himself came into view, he was wearing that exact smile.

Hermione certainly seemed taken with him. Ginny was encouraged at the thought. Maybe a crush on Lockhart would distract her from any feelings for Harry— who was currently being dragged up to the platform where Gilderoy was posing for the photographers.

"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography...which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge. He had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book 'Magical Me.' He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Harry grimaced under the weight of the complete works of Lockhart. He stumbled off the platform and made his way towards her. At that moment, Ginny had the sensation of her heart being pulled in two different directions. One pleading with Merlin himself to keep Harry away so she wouldn't make a fool of herself again. The other begging that he invade her space just so she could breathe the same air as him.

"You have these. I'll buy my own..." and with that Harry tipped the books into her pewter cauldron. Say something! Anything! Unfortunately, the words wouldn't come and she stood stock still, hoping against hope to not upset whatever force kept Harry standing beside her.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a swotty voice. Ginny turned to see a boy with pale blonde hair sneering at Harry. She immediately disliked him.

"Famous Harry Potter...can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

Ginny saw red. How dare he?! Harry is nothing like these puffed up, fake gits. He is kind and genuine. The words spewed from her mouth without a second thought.

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!"

Harry appeared surprised, but she only had eyes for this prat at the moment.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!"

Just when she thought this day couldn't be any more embarrassing, her secret crush is revealed to the boy in question. She wanted to crawl under the nearest rock and die. Before she could find one, Ron and Hermione joined the confrontation.

"I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those," remarked the prat.

Ron turned red and dropped his books into her cauldron then went flying at the boy. Harry and Hermione were barely pulling him back by his jacket. Her dad came over to break up the fight, but he was interrupted by a man who looked like an older version of the prat, except he was even worse. This was the same Mr. Malfoy her dad had spent night after night ranting about at the dinner table. Mr. Malfoy pulled a battered transfiguration book out of her cauldron and inspected it.

"Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Her dad was usually a levelheaded man. In a fight with her Mum, he was calm and collected. He was the first to accept blame and apologize. Her dad was not that man at the moment and she didn't blame him one bit.

"The company you keep, Weasley...and I thought your family could sink no lower..."

Her dad threw himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him into a bookshelf. The cauldron fell from Ginny's hands, books tumbled out onto the floor. The twins cheered him on while her Mum shrieked for him to stop. It took a half giant in the form of Hagrid to separate the two wizards. Mr. Malfoy thrust the transfiguration book at Ginny.

"Here, girl...take your book...it's the best your father can give you..."

Ginny grabbed the book and stared defiantly at Mr. Malfoy. Her father was worth ten times the wizard he was.

%G%

As soon as they had flooed home, her Mum rushed them out of the kitchen so she could cook. Ron challenged Harry to a game of chess before dinner. Ginny gathered her share of the school supplies and ran up to her room for two reasons. The first being that she knew she would just annoy Ron if she stuck around and second being that she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Harry. She closed her bedroom door behind her and decided to arrange her books. The twins would probably tease her if they knew it, but she was actually curious to thumb through the textbooks and see a preview of all she would learn this year. She desperately wanted to use her wand, but her Mum had refused her pleas.

"I will give it to you on the platform. All your brothers got their wands just before boarding and it will be the same with you, young lady. It is far too tempting to use your wand before then and I don't want any accidents. Do I make myself clear?"

Ginny had stomped her foot in frustration, but she knew that her Mum's word was law. Her surprisingly springy 12 inch hazel wand with a dragon heartstring core would stay hidden from her until September first. Doesn't Mum know that I am not like my brothers? Sure, the twins must have tried something, but I'm not dumb enough to. I know how to be responsible.

She sat on her bed and browsed the titles of her textbooks. She skipped all of Gilderoy Lockhart's because she even had the sense to know they were probably rubbish. Besides defense against the dark arts, the one subject that always fascinated her was transfiguration. Ginny wasn't necessarily ashamed of her ginger hair. She wouldn't even say she hated it. She just wished it wasn't as bold as it was. Her hair was the same hue as a pumpkin. If anything about her appearance bothered her, it would be her freckles. She had a dusting of the brown spots over her entire body, but they seemed to congregate mostly on her cheeks and shoulders. Ginny wanted to make friends this year, but the combination of ginger hair and freckles would most definitely bring her the wrong type of attention. A simple transfiguration spell might be able to turn her hair color to a rich auburn or lessen her freckles to a few well-placed beauty marks. She hoped that those spells would be in the agenda for her first year.

With eagerness, Ginny shuffled through the books for Emeric Switch's A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration. Like all the other hand-me-down books, the cover was scuffed and frayed. It appeared as though the book was about to rip in two and it was not because of the loose binding. Ginny noticed the book wouldn't closed all the way because there was a second book inside it. How very curious…I wonder what this is?

Ginny examined the small, black book. It was just as shabby as the other books she owned; the once gilded edges of the pages were faded with time. There was no title on the book's spine. Only the numbers 1942 appeared on the cover of the book. She assumed it must be a year. It was a rather plain looking book. Her Dad had warned her about the strange books that he had confiscated over the years. Many of them held horrible curses for anyone who dared to peek within. She debated with herself whether to open the book or not. It did seem rather harmless. When her Dad had described these books, she had always pictured them as thick, heavy tomes; covers inlaid with ancient dark runes and pages inked in blood. This book was quite the opposite. It was thin, light, and plain. Nothing appeared sinister about it. Ginny thought about taking it to her parents for about a second until she decided against it. This was the first thing she had ever found on her own. And it had been in her transfiguration book, hadn't it? Her parents would probably take it from her just because it could be dangerous. It probably wasn't. If her brothers found it, they would probably try to claim it as their own. This would be the first non-girl related object she would own first. It was hers alone. With a deep breath, she opened it and was immediately disappointed.

The yellowed pages were completely blank. She flipped through the entire book to the first page. All she found written was the name: T. M. Riddle. So this must have been a diary. Pretty boring life if he couldn't find anything to write about. That's not a bad idea, though. I should write about my first year at Hogwarts. Nobody really listens to me anyways so I might as well write it down.

Ginny opened her bedside drawer and removed her quill case and ink pot. Inside were two hawk feather quills that she had received for her birthday. She dipped the quill in ink and began to write Dear Diary, but the words stayed for mere seconds until they sank into the page. Perplexed, Ginny tried again to begin her first diary entry, but to no avail. She pondered what to do. Did one have to cast a spell for the diary to work? If that was the case, then she should just abandon it as a bad job because she wasn't allowed to use her wand, let alone know which spell to cast. Maybe she had to say a password? Or write it? For some inexplicable reason, Ginny had a sudden thought— what if I should introduce myself? What an odd thought; introducing yourself to a book.

She didn't have any other ideas so she dipped the quill in the ink pot again and wrote, Hi, my name is Ginny Weasley. The words slowly absorbed into the page; vanishing without a trace. But then, ink oozed back out, forming words. And they were not the same ones Ginny had just written. She leaned forward with anticipation and stared at the unfamiliar script.

Hello, Ginny Weasley. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?

A/N: So what do you think so far? Reviews are appreciated! I can't make any promises for when the next chapter will be up, but I'm committing to at least finish Ginny's untold story for her first year. If you all like it, I might do more!